Peterson targets NFL rushing record

The Sports Xchange/Reuters

Many were in awe of Adrian Peterson's 2,000-yard season in 2012, but the Minnesota Vikings' Most Valuable Player (MVP) was not one of them.

He told NFL Network and Sports Illustrated on Wednesday that the bar is much, much higher after he nearly chased down the single-season record of 2,105 yards set by Eric Dickerson in 1984.

In a game played 370 days after Peterson tore his ACL at Washington to end his 2011 season, he rushed for 199 yards in the regular-season finale to finish last season with 2,097 yards. The goal this season equates to more than 156 yards per game.

"I've got my bar set for 2,500 yards," Peterson said. "If I can go over that, the record will be shattered. But ultimately I want a couple (championship) rings. You gotta start at one."

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Veteran left tackle Bryant McKinnie took a physical with the San Diego Chargers and could sign a contract to help bolster what was a weak spot last season.

McKinnie, 6-8, 360 pounds, turns 34 in September, and the former first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings has battled weight issues that led to his release in 2010. McKinnie spent the past two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and has 147 career starts.

McKinnie would be paired with 2013 first-round pick D.J. Fluker in San Diego. Fluker, 6-5, 339, played right tackle at Alabama. The Chargers allowed 49 sacks last season and Philip Rivers has been sacked 117 times in the past three seasons.

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A congratulatory tweet to Jason Collins cost former Packers' safety LeRoy Butler $8,500 and a speaking engagement at a Wisconsin church.

Butler posted to his Twitter account "Congrats to Jason Collins" on Monday afternoon, after the story broke of the NBA player coming out and admitting he was gay in a Sports Illustrated cover story.

Citing a morals clause, the church Butler wouldn't name cancelled his $8,500 speaking engagement -- an anti-bullying presentation -- scheduled for this summer. Donations collected during the event were earmarked for the church's youth.

Butler said he refused to retract the statement and ask God for forgiveness as the church demanded if he wanted to keep the speaking appearance.

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A proposed new stadium in Atlanta might be a destination venue no matter the success of the on-field product. The Falcons submitted two stadium proposals to the Georgia World Congress Center, with innovations in most every section, from vibrating "rumble seat technology" that lets fans feel every big hit to a 100-yard bar.

"I don't think skimp is a word that will be used a lot," said architect Bill Johnson in a statement to WSB-TV.

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Former NFL offensive lineman Kyle Turley has contemplated suicide and is concerned about his long-term mental health after suffering concussions during his NFL career.

Turley, 37, told UT-San Diego that he is taking medication for his suicidal thoughts. He blames his mental state on repeated head trauma in the NFL.

"No one in my family has ever gone crazy and killed themselves or thought about that. I have," Turley said. "It's not a thought that is fleeting. It's a thought that goes away when I'm on my medication, and the thought of doing a lot of crazy things as well and making unbelievable decisions."

Turley was a first-team All-Pro in 2000 and played in 109 games for the New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs. Now retired from football, he has a 2-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son.

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Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Javier Arenas was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for fullback Anthony Sherman pending results of their physicals this week.

Arenas, 25, is entering his fourth season and started nine games in 2012. He has two career interceptions in 47 games and can double as a punt returner behind Patrick Peterson.

Sherman gives head coach Andy Reid a versatile lead blocker in front of Jamaal Charles. (Editing by Frank Pingue)